The Utah Jazz have expressed interest in former LSU standout Naz Reid, who is fully expected to get picked in the 2019 NBA Draft.
He’s not Tobias Harris, a name that has come up plenty of times involving the Utah Jazz. He’s not Nikola Mirotic, another name that is often linked to the Jazz.
He’s Naz Reid, a freshman from LSU that is soon-to-be-going-pro. He’s not the shooter that Mirotic is, but he’s way more skilled all-around. Truth be told, I think he can handle the ball better than Harris can, which is impressive considering Reid is a 6-foot-10, 250-pound beast.
Reid doesn’t do one specific thing extremely well. He’s a well-rounded, new-school big man. He can shoot it — he shot 84 threes at LSU, converting at a 33.3-percent clip. He can bully in the paint. He can certainly handle the ball and make plays for himself or others:
Naz Reid is 6’10 and just put a dude on absolute skates. pic.twitter.com/hLkBkeeXKJ
— Backdoor Cuts (@stoolbackcuts) November 14, 2018
That play alone has got to have you intrigued in Reid. During his Freshman year at LSU, Reid averaged 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors.
The Jazz talked with Reid during the Draft Combine, and was also mentioned as a potential suitor for the team in Tony Jones’ recent draft coverage piece on The Athletic. He also had a pre-draft workout with the Jazz on Sunday.
Do I think this would be a good pick for the Jazz? Absolutely. I don’t know if he’ll be the best player available at pick 23, but I do know I’ve consistently pegged him as a late first-round option for teams. I think he could fit nicely with Rudy Gobert in the future, as a very mobile power forward that can spread the floor.
We’ll see if history repeats itself and the Jazz take a guy they’ve expressed serious interest in. They absolutely loved Grayson Allen heading into the 2018 NBA Draft, and ended up selecting him 21st overall. They absolutely loved Donovan Mitchell in 2017, and we all know how that turned out.
Thank you, Denver.